Foxless Coldless Skillless
by new dragon18 and shinjuki
Summary: REDONE I wondered what the Naruto world might look like in about 20 years... well, here's one option. Chapter 2 up!
1. Info

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WE LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dragon: HELLO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Shinjuki: HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

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Yami: -_- Would you 2 stop your damn yelling?!

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Dragon and Shinjuki: *jump back, afraid*

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Yami: Now………. Yes people!! We _do_ live!! After countless amounts of fan responses and 

spam email from them, we have decided to continue a story….. This one!!

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Shinjuki: *coming back, just a little* Now, as you know, this story already has 53 chapters written, but we will be starting it over for some reasons………..

1) Having 2 accounts is a pain.

2) Having to check 2 emails is a pain.

3) There were _a lot_ of _major_ errors, that are now fixed ^_^;;

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Dragon: *Next to Shinjuki* We have plenty of chapters done……….., well, I mean edited, and some extras done as well. I took the liberty of adding in quite a few *cough* 10 or so *cough* chapters based on the other teams and such.

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Shinjuki: Now, this little introduction was just to get that out there……… now, can someone introduce the story?!

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Neji: I'll do it *grunt* *Deep announcer voice……….*

**_Foxless Coldless Skillless_**

Revived and Ready, we dare anyone to enter……..

Get ready for chapter 1.……………………………..

*Deep announcer voice end……….*


	2. Narumi

Chapter 1: Narumi~! Ninja To Be!!

The night was dark, the silence deep. Little settlements dotted the hillsides around the deep, impenetrable forest like speckles 'round a paint blot. Inside the forest (rather deeply inside the forest) was a 'Hidden' village that everybody knew about. Of course, this never affected the villages lives all that much. An invasion, a war... this hadn't happened in many years; not since the legendary Sages War, where the three legendary ninja's had united one last time – on opposing sides of the battle force. That had been a fearful time. But all had turned out well, and the inhabitants of the village could sleep soundly knowing one of the most powerful ninja villages in the world was right on their back doorstep. Usually it never came much closer than that. The Hidden Leaf slumbered peacefully along with the villages, enjoying the peace..... far, far into the distance, in the middle of the black forest. 

"I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't be doing this," said Narumi, squinting to make out her home fort in the distance. "It's kinda...far." 

A soft landing on the branch behind her. 

"Now you say it," griped Gai, which was an unusual tone for the meekly quiet boy. "You've never said that before. It's always 'hey, yeah, let's see how far we can get before they catch us' and I'm the one who gets blamed when they suspect anything." 

"I get punished too!" snapped back Narumi. Then she stared off into the distance at the darkened shadow of Konoha. "It's just... why tonight, of all nights, did you decide you wanted to do this?" 

"I wanted a last bit of happiness before my impending death," Gai murmured gloomily, "Just a bit of a bright spot so that I can go without any regrets. Is that too much to ask?" 

"You IDIOT!!" yelled Narumi so loudly that Gai almost fell off the branch. "It's just the stupid Academy exams, that's all!! What's with the 'last bit of happiness before I die' crud?" 

"SHHHH!" gasped Gai. "You don't know who's—"

"Come on, I would sense them," said Narumi boredly. "Alright, alright, I get it, I'll keep on going. You have the money, right?"

"Of course!" said Gai, straightening up happily. "We're going to the village by the west bank of the river, I think it's called Nakada Village?" 

"Only in this situation do you ever remember the names of anything," muttered Narumi, but it was good-natured. "Well then, let's be off." 

The two of them leaped from branch to branch through the forest, as only ninjas can do effectively. Gai blended in more with his surroundings due to his green jumpsuit that he wore like a shield, awkwardly like his personality and his jumping, which was cautious and fraught with almost-missteps. The girl waiting for him impatiently, legs splayed out decisively and firmly planted on the tree branch, was much more brightly dressed to the average looker, with her orange and blue coat matching her father's old one. Indeed, except for the long blond hair, she looked like a boy in her walk, talk and mannerisms. She was also by far a better ninja. 

Gai's foot slipped on some moss and down he went. Before he even had time to scream, Narumi was crouching on the same branch on the same moss, holding him by the arm above a 60-foot drop. 

"Darn it!" gasped Gai in released tension, "I've been trying not to _do_ that!" 

Well, seeing as that's the first time you've messed up tonight after nearly an hour of travel, I'll forgive you. For now." Narumi looked ahead of her. "Let's hurry... I've got a bad feeling tonight for some reason." 

Gai gulped and wrestled himself back onto the branch. 

The village of Nakata rested peacefully on the riverside. It was not as dependent on fishing as some places, indeed it relied more on agriculture and the irrigation that it came from. Its center of town was small, with nothing but a grocery market, a book store, a music shop, and a bank to its name. However this was enough for the two crouched on its outskirts. Gai held the money tightly in his hand. 

'This would be so much easier," Narumi grumbled, "if they hadn't outlawed us from going into the music shop in Ko no Ha. Wider selection too." 

"It can't be helped," said Gai, eyes fixed on the battered sign in front. "It was getting in the way of our training, and kept us away from our studies." 

"Not MY training!' hissed Narumi. "I don't really have an interest in it, I mean, music is nice and all but—"

"You know you don't have to come," Gai said suddenly, hunching into himself. "I mean – you could get into trouble if anyone ever found out. We're not supposed to be out of the fort without permission, and—"

"Whaaat?" Narumi sighed, then grinned. "Nah, don't even worry about it. You put up with me and all my crazy training stuff, like the frog pit – "

"I'll never see a frog without screaming again," shuddered Gai. 

"And using the roofs as slides, when no one was watching—"

"I almost died three times."

"Yeah, and trying to paint on Kakashi-ojisan's face when he was sleeping—"

"Ohhhhhh Gooooooooooddddd~~~" moaned Gai, starting to shiver. "Let's just go in and buy it, okay?" 

"Right, right, I just wanted to make a point. This is probably the only dangerous thing you've ever done in your life, so I want to support you in that undertaking." 

"This has no comparison to ninja courage," Gai whispered, sneaking slowly towards the locked door. "It's just the one thing that gives me pleasure in my life, that's all. Hand me the key." 

"Yeah, I know," said Narumi, handing him a 'borrowed' specialty ninja key that unlocked most doors. "Sometimes I think it's hopeless to turn you into a ninja."

"Don't say that," murmured Gai, turning the key slowly, "I may just agree with you forevermore." 

Narumi was strangely silent as she watched him push open the door cautiously. It was true that out of the class, Gai was probably the lowest skill level, and it was true that he had never in his life actually wanted to do any of the training she'd put him through as her best friend, but even so--- even so---

She suddenly realized something as the door swung wide open to reveal the dim interior. Tables, counter, racks of outdated music – but sitting in a chair—

"GAI!! Take cover!!" she yelled, shoving him down, grabbing a kunai and holding it out to defend herself as well as him, mind whirling as she cursed her self for only looking for someone _chasing her_ and never thinking somebody might be _waiting_ for her---

"You failed to consider the possibility," said Kakashi-ojisan, stretching himself conspicuously, "that someone would have thought out where you'd go, and have been studying where you got all that lovely music that your friend is still playing in secret. Hm?" His eyes took on a dangerous look. "Disappointing.... for the child of a Hokage." 

"Run, Gai!" yelled Narumi, snapping out of it and wracking her brain for a jutsu that would get him off their trail and yet not destroy the shop. Fireball? Bad. Clone technique? Useless. Running as fast as she could? Well maybe---

"Oh no no no," said Kakashi, using his one arm to rise himself up from the chair. "No, you're not going to get away this time, Narumi."

~*~

"DAMN you!!" yelled Narumi, struggling at the rope bonds that held her. "What's the meaning of this, huh? You can't just tie a person up when it causes damage to their - uh – health!" She was referring to Gai, tied on the other side of her, who has passed out from shock. 

Kakashi calmly rocked back and forth in the same chair he'd been sitting in originally. "You know why you're here, don't you? Then you know why you're tied up." 

Narumi's face turned red in anger. "We ALWAYS pay for it!" she yelled. "I have never stolen anything in my life, never!" 

"Except this key...." sighed Kakashi, swinging it round his finger. "Which, if I remember correctly, is my own." 

"I was just borrowing it, I always returned it!" sputtered Narumi. 

"Stealing or not stealing is not the issue here," snapped Kakashi in a hard voice. "You know how serious the offense of leaving the fort without permission is. I could report you as a missing-nin, you know, and kill you right here and not even your father would be able to say anything against me!!"

Narumi was silent. 

Kakashi sized her up frankly, as he stretched the stillness out a bit. In any other pre-genin, there would have been fear obvious in the face. Most would break and start crying, beg Kakashi not to hurt them, they hadn't meant to do any harm. He would forgive most of them for doing it, too. They were still children after all, barely 12. Gai, he knew, would beg if he was awake. 

Narumi was silent. 

__

Ah, Naruto, thought Kakashi. _She's your child, isn't she.... yet I think that to tell you of this would disturb you as equally as it does me. _

She had broken the rules – knowingly. She had put her life in danger and risked becoming a missing-nin – knowingly. For what purpose? Apparently not one of her own. She was not the one who spent hours and hours at a piano playing old classical music whenever her parents let her. No, she was a promising young kunoichi.....

Kakashi shook himself out of this train of thought, not really wanting to go where it was taking him. He averted his eyes from her scared but determined ones first. She had a habit of a gaze that looked right through you – probably due to her mother. 

"This must not continue like this," Kakashi spoke as to himself. "I will not tell your parents, at least not your father, but the Academy exams—he will have to be removed from them." 

"Wh-what?!" gasped Narumi, poker face broken. "Gai? You mean Gai?" 

"He is not suited to be a ninja," Kakashi continued. "Nothing like his namesake used to be, who for all his foolish ways, was among the best ninja's I ever knew." 

"Well how could he be – when you're always comparing him to his dead namesake!!" Narumi yelled angrily back. "Besides, how would you know who will become a good ninja and who won't? You know his father's among the best ninja's in the tribe, and he doesn't even have any Charka!"

"That is a matter of sheer will, which Lee has and Gai does not." Kakashi shrugged, "Sometimes it skips a generation." 

"You – you're not going to fail him?" asked Narumi, some hesitation creeping into her voice for the first time. 

Kakashi blinked. "Yeah. I'm going to fail him." 

"DON'T!" screamed Narumi so loud Kakashi hastily dropped the key and put his one hand over her mouth. She tried to bite him. 

"You can't do that!" she wailed when she was able to speak again. "Look, it's not his fault this happened, I've done this before! For things such as training! I swear I barely even sleep at home any more! Besides, if I hadn't been helping him, he would never have gotten this far alive! He sucks at traveling!" 

"Most certainly true," nodded Kakashi. 

"I've been working with him for months, trying to get him to be able to pass this exam... please... it'll kill him if he doesn't get through it... I don't want him to have to live like, like the failure in the town! You know, the one who everybody snickers about, the one where they say 'his mother must have drunk bad water' behind his back – and they already do! I want to prove that—" She huddled into herself briefly, then straightened up again. 

"My father will understand. Please Mr. Kakashi—take all the blame form from him and place it on me. I will accept full responsibility."

"Full....responsibility?" asked Kakashi, shocked though he didn't show it. _Are you merely stupid, girl, or can it be...? _

"I mean it," said Narumi, meeting him full in the eyes with her vaguely creepy stare, made more so by the stress showing through the veneer. Yet she was serious. 

__

Would you have been so serious, Naruto? It is like you feared.... she has grown up too fast for us. 

"Indeed," Kakashi said, showing in his one visible eye the full seriousness of the offer she had just made. "Then I will consider your settlement."


	3. Old Rivals, New Rivals 1

Dragon: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?! We'er back in in business?! Yes sir e! I have been UBERLY busy for the past… well, even MORE UBERLY busy for past while.. Well, here is chapter 2, edited and fixed… to the best I could do in such a short amount of time I have to spare to this. I may just not do anything else, since most stories here are now so newbish. Damn n00bs!

The day dawned sunny with just a touch of wind, whistling through the leaves that were the fort's namesake. Naruto found he just couldn't sit still, and wiggled his toes impatiently within his boot. At times like this, he found it annoying that he couldn't just dress down and watch his own daughter pass her exams. Even though he had trained with her time and time again, and even though he was quite sure that she knew all the jutsus at least moderately well and had a great sense of prediction for an attack, perhaps there was some horrible thing that had been added that would stop her in her tracks. He didn't want his poor little girl to have to suffer through another year in the Academy, as he knew she was already far beyond it....

"Stop tapping your foot, Lord Hokage." Ko no Ha Jounin Uchiha Sasuke stood by the 5th Hokage's side, guarding him from any assassins that might strike out of the blue. He was obviously bored. "It destroys the innate dignity of your position."

Naruto looked around before answering in a hushed voice. "Who put a stick up your ass, Sasuke? Nobody can see me from here anyway....just my wife." He smiled down at her and blew her a kiss. Hinata was still beautiful to him even from a distance.

"...Don't call me by the boyhood serifs, Lord Hokage," replied Sasuke. "If you must address me, do so as Uchiha-san in respect to my title as one of the bloodlines of this village."

"Put a sock in it, Sasuke." Naruto craned his neck to try and see the building in which the exam was taking place better.

Sasuke sat there silently for a moment, then muttered in a strangled voice, "Usutorankachi."

"Same to you," grinned Naruto. They had never had a completely professional relationship, despite all their titles. The blood of rivalry still ran strong. "Say, isn't your son taking the exams today, too?"

"Yes.... and also the title of first place." Sasuke allowed a smirk on his face.

"Ohhhh really...." The fires crackled, then were smothered quickly. "Well, we'll just have to see about that. My daughter isn't bad, either."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She will never be in first place," he said laconically. "You have been too easy in her upbringing, Nar—Lord Hokage. If I may respectfully state my opinion."

"I beg your pardon?" snapped Naruto. "Was that a comment on my daughter's abilities?"

"No, Lord Hokage.... I quite honestly meant it to be a comment on your parenting style." Sasuke understood it was a touchy subject with Naruto.

"As if I could do it any other way," muttered Naruto. Suddenly he brightened up. "Hey, look! Sakura just showed up! She's brought Umeko and Itachi, too!"

Sasuke cursed under his breath. 'I told them not to come! It's not _that_ important of an event that a young man needs to be humiliated by having his mother show up to see him."

"Hmmmmm..." said Naruto, "So being 'too easy' is worse than being 'too hard'?" Sakura waved at them cheerfully, long pink hair let down and flowing in waves across her shoulders. She, too, was still beautiful. Sasuke turned his eyes away.

"My son will rival you one day, Naruto. Leave no doubt about that. And he _will_ triumph over all your progeny. He will do good works for the Konoha and be recognized all his days."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond to that, but then thought better of it. First, the idea of his son's genius-ness was very important to Sasuke, as he saw in it a way to repair all the damage he himself had done when he had been a soldier of the detested Orochimaru for a short, tormented while. Naruto had saved him then, and probably that was the sole reason Sasuke could stand to serve his old rival. Secondly, he didn't really want his daughter to become consumed by trying to compete with Sasuke, Jr. Becoming maybe a Chuunin level was fine, and he thought she'd make quite a fine one too. Sadly, it was obvious that young Sasuke would become a Jounin within five years. _Narumi shouldn't have to compare herself against someone like that_, thought Naruto.

"Whatever," Naruto finally sighed. "Let's just wait for the outcomes, okay? We don't have to fight about it...."

"I am not fighting with you, Lord Hokage," Sasuke snapped stiffly, apparently embarrassed at his outburst.

"Sasuke-samaaaa!" Sakura called from down below the platform. "I brought you some lunch! I hope you don't mind that I came here today!!"

"Disobedient woman," muttered Sasuke. Naruto nudged him. "Keep a distance away from him when he comes out, so he doesn't think that you've been waiting for him!! He must learn to do without!" Sakura smiled in a way that showed she would definitely not follow that order. Umeko scowled, her facial expression perfectly mirroring her father. Pink-haired Itachi, on the other hand, beamed up at his father and the 5th. On a whim, Naruto then scanned the crowd for other faces he knew. He quickly picked out his lovely wife, who was trying to control their two rowdy sons. And just beyond them... was that? Ah, yes, Shikamaru and his wife Ino and their 8 or 9 children in a huge group! Shikamaru didn't look happy, but Ino seemed to be having the time of her life. Their oldest children, twins, were competing today.

Looking back over to the left, nearer to the building, Naruto picked out Lee and his wife Tenten with their younger son, who was conspicuously eyeing some girl's bottom. That kid was going to be a problem someday.... though you could count both of their kids as being so, in a way. Their two sons were so opposite of each other, Naruto mused, and neither of them were really like their parents in personalities - –though Gai looked like Lee and Kei looked like Tenten. Even so, they got along the best of any siblings that Naruto had ever seen anywhere. There were virtually no fights at the Rock household, between any of the members. And it was not like the Uchiha household, where fights were suppressed.

Another figure made his way out of the crowd and walked over to join them. It was Neji! Naruto blinked and leaned forwards. Oh, that was right, he must have just gotten back to the fort today. Ex-Hyuuga Neji was one of the busiest ninjas in the fort, still a virtual member of the ANBU in all but name. One could make a crack about 'running away from ones demons' but not even Naruto was cruel enough to do that. Neji and Lee seemed to be talking cordially, and Naruto let his eyes rove once again. Where was Kakashi, anyway?

"Lord Hokage." Naruto was jolted back to reality. "The ones who passed will be coming out soon." Sasuke was looking down at him with an odd expression.

"Um, yeah.... sorry, just let my mind wander a bit."

"Indeed." And Sasuke turned away to look out among the waving leaves himself.


End file.
